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it is time for the end point. final thoughts. >> tomorrow and wednesday, the supreme court is going to hear arguments on the same sex marriage cases. it is a culmination of a the lot of activity. i think people are expecting a big ruling. but as i wrote in my post on the new yorker.com on saturday, there may be procedural issues that trip them up. but there is no question where the country and where the courts headed on this and that is for marriage equality. >> he's worked very hard on this. also want to say good morning to my grandson who just face timed me. >> and i would just like to say congratulations for florida gulf coast university. they are -- we're all proud of them. >> did you pick them?

>> yes, dear. it's an exciting time in ft. myers. and we do hope you keep it going. >> they are the story of the day. we'll give you credit for it. that is all for starting point. >> newsroom begins right now. happening now in the newsroom, first week of spring, more like the last fury of winter. treacherous roads snarled air traffic and up to a foot of snow and the spring surprise is now marching east. keep your eye on that great white shark. it charges a cage and somehow manages to get its head deep inside. two thrill seeking tourists getting a lot more than they bargained for. and she's been trying to put her life back together after her murder conviction was overturned. now amanda knox could be forced to return to italy and face the and if saying i'm sorry could heal the world, then cbs is on the right track.

the amazing race stirs up an amazing mess using a war memorial for a prop. we have the apology. you're live in the cnn newsroom. good morning from washington. thank you so much for being with me. i'm carol costello. we begin with the wintry mess scoffing at the calendar. it's officially spring, but try telling that to millions of americans in the midwest and mid-atlantic states. >> my car was completely sideways coming up the hill. and so thank god i managed to get right here in the center and i've been here about 45 minutes waiting on a tow truck. >> i can relate this morning. up to 7 inches from st. louis to pittsburgh and some areas will be buried under a foot of snow. it's not just snow that made for a wild weekend, though.

take a look at that, that's hail blanketing the ground. much of the eastern half of the country has seen any combination of high winds, thunderstorms and of course snow and hail. in just a minute we'll tell you where the storm is heading, but first let's show you where it is. cnn's martin savidge is in pittsburgh. and it looks pretty, but i bet it feels pretty miserable. >> reporter: good morning to you. yeah, pittsburgh just think of the storm, it has dumped snow all the way from denver to d.c.. so it's made a lot of white all across the country. here in pittsburgh, not quite as bad as they feared. they thought 3 to 6, they ended up with 1 to 3. so no snowmageddon, but what is it? it is a slush a apolooza. right now they have about 400 schools closed or delayed as a result of the weather. the fwlits are delayed somewhat mainly because they have to desis, but otherwise the commute

is going well. streets are clear. secondary roads are slushy. so it's bad, but not terrible. >> not terrible, but it's supposed to be spring and a lot of people have a terrible case of spring fever. >> yeah, and that is the real impact of the storm. it's kind of a mental blizzard. i will point out, though, the latest snowfall in pittsburghburpittsburgh bu, may 3s1st. >> that's just cruel to bring up. thank you so much.snow already falling here in washington and elsewhere on the east coast, so let's check in with jennifer delgado. on high drimy drive in, it was . those big thick wet snowflakes were just coming at your windshield and blinding you. >> you're like why did i come to d.c.. you're right. and the snow has been coming down and we'll see more of it tapering off in about the next two hours or so.

but still looking at snow from areas of illinois all the way to new jersey. northern virginia still looking at snow and the same for parts of kentucky as well as this tennessee. of course it's lighter down there. but we focus on the northeast and mid-atlantic. of course you can see where the snow is. snow still coming down for areas like baltimore. we're good through delaware as well as maryland. notice rain along the coastal areas. we'll see a snow/rain mix for regions even including new york city. we're expecting anywhere between 1 to 3 inches of snowfall. we have two lows and the low out to the west will be the weaker one. it will be fizzling out. we're watching the one moving right along the coast and that's what's going to be bringing that snow as we go through the evening hours. many of these advisories are going to last it looks like until about midnight. want to possibility out to you 4 to 6 for parts of ohio as well as into areas including eastern indiana right along the mountains, 6 to 12. washington, d.c., 1 to 3. so your snow will be tapering off.

but to give you an idea, for washington reagan, we picked up 1.3 inches of snowfall. arlington, 2.4. that's more than a lot of people really thought they were going to get. so hopefully you packed your snow boots. but you won't need it long. >> i'm an ohio girl, i can tough it out. jennifer, thanks so much. other top stories for you this morning. i bet you can't take your eyes off this video. a great white shark jams its head through a narrow opening in the diving cage. just inches from two terrified divers. last hour we heard from the man who captured it all. >> there's not much space, you can't go left, you can't go right, you can't go up. his reaction was to go down. there's a couple feet beneath the water, so he managed to curl up into a ball down there and wait until the teeth had left. >> neither diver inside the cage was hurt.

worth noting, he had climbed out just a couple minutes before the attack and went back in about 20 minutes later. this morning 59-year-old girl is being praised for her courage after surviving a harrowing crash. she smelled gasoline, so she turned off the car's ignition and crawled out of the wrecked car and inched her way through the dark and across the terrain filled with brush, snakes and coyotes. she wanted to get help for her father who was injured. >> the courage of this young gal, she really reacted in a very responsible manner. >> the girl will spend at least today in the hospital. so todays can keep an eye on her. sadly, she could not save her father. by the time officers arrived, he had died of his injuries. french police used tear gas on people protesting same-sex marriage. scuffles broke out as hundreds of thousands marched through central paris. they're fighting a plan that

would allow same-sex marriages and adoptions by gay couples. the french senate is expected to vote on the plan next month. a 14-year-old boy accused of killing a 13 month old baby is expected in court this hour. he's the younger p two georgia teenagers charged in the case. sherry west says one of the boys shot her baby antonio in the face after the boys tried to rob her. cnn's nick valencia has more on the 911 calls revealing the horror that unfolded last thursday in the coastal georgia town of brunswick. >> reporter: police say an a anonymous tip led them to the 14-year-old suspect. officers say the juvenile whose name has not been released turned on 17-year-old demarcus elkins during questioning and identified him as the shooter. sherry west, mother of the 13 month old infants, did not mince wor words. >> you killed an innocent human life and that i hope you die for it. >> where is your imagine?

>> emergency, woman says that her baby apparently's been hit in the head or shot. she's screaming. >> reporter: there were no eyewitnesses to the shooting, but several neighbors heard the gunshots and called 911. >> is the baby bleeding? >> i don't know. >> are you close to the situation? >> no, i'm not. i'm about 50 yards away. the woman is screaming. there are other people. the baby's on the ground thousand. the woman is over the baby. accepted t send the police, please. >> stay on the line with me. the baby is on the ground? >> yes. >> reporter: police have not disclosed any motive for the shooting and so far no gun has been found. police say both teens have been charged with first-degree murder. but elkins' aunt told wtlb her nephew didn't do it. >> i hate what happened to that baby because no baby deserve to go through that. but at the same time, they

taking someone to jail that is innocent. i'm 100% positive that demarcus elkins was not at that crime scene. he was at my residence. >> reporter: the two teens are being held in a local detention center waiting to be arraigned. west said she's too scared to stay in brunswick and has plans to move back to new jersey where is he shez she lost another child to a violent crime in 2008, an 18-year-old son stabbed to death. >> nick valencia joins me by phone. you're awaiting court proceedings to begin. the 14-year-old due in court, what more do we know about that suspect? >> reporter: we don't know much. we don't even know his name or the associations between the 17-year-old and the 14-year-old or how they knew each other. what we know is about 9:30, that 14-year-old juvenile will be appearing before the magistrate. i got a call from the father of the 13 month old last night. he called me just to talk. he's very emotional. and he told me he doesn't blame the suspect. in fact, he thinks that they just needed to get some help,

had a bad upbringing. we do though about the 17-year-old, i saw on his facebook page that he alleged to be part of the bloods gang. i asked the police officers here in brunswick if they have a gang problem. he said, nick, they just have a bunch of wannabees and demarcus elkins was one of them. >> such a sad story. we'll hear more when court begins later on. also, piers morgan will have the mother of the baby who was killed on his show tonight. cbs is doing a little damage control for an amazing race episode some veterans found offensive and today one organization is satisfied with how the network handled the situation. nischelle turner live in los angeles to explain what went down. >> the show and the network are apologizing to veterans groups for a task that was set in vietnam during the show that aired on march 17th. this task used a war memorial as a location where contestants hunted for clues.

this memorial includes wreckage of a downed u.s. b-52 bomber. now, the segment also included a choir singing a tribute to the vietnam communist party. so as you can understand, veterans organizations were upset at cbs and they let the network know about it. cbs has now apologized. they opened the amazing race last night with this apology. listen. >> we want to apologize to veterans, particularly those who served this vietnam, as well as to their families and any viewers who were offended by the broadcast. >> now, the heads of the american legion and veterans of foreign wars had written angry letters to cbs protesting the episode, but it seems like cbs' on air apology is calming some of the concern this morning. american legion commander tells cnn the american legion applauds cbs and the amazing race for its

apology that was broadcast immediately before last night's episode. and they gave this to us last night. we also reached out to senator john mccain who also has concerns about the episode, but we have not heard back from him as of yet. now, carol, cbs as a network relies heavily on an audience who supports the military, so you do have to think that easing veterans' hurt feelings is definitely a high priority for them. >> regardless, they should have apologized. nischelle turner reporting live from los angeles. next hour, we expect to learn the winner of saturday night's $338 million power ball jackpot. our affiliate says someone bought the only winning ticket at love's travel shop in borden town, new jersey. lottery officials plan to announce the winner at a news conference that will start about 45 minutes from now. we'll keep you posted. florida gulf coast university breaking brackets and making history.eagles beat san diego state in the ncaa

tournament. it was amazing. they become the first 15th seeded team ever to reach the sweet 16. awesome. the eagles celebrated their win in the locker room. they advance to play third seeded florida on friday. just ahead in the newsroom, how soon can infants eat solid food? you will be amazed at the answer coming from some parents. i'm a conservative investor.

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15 past the hour. time to check our top stories. italian supreme court will decide if amanda knox should stand trial again for the hur of her roommate. the american student whose stories captured worldwide headlines spent four years in an italian jail. if the court approves a retrial, knox might be forced to return to italy. good news for spring breakers. gas prices have dropped four weeks in a row now. the average price $3.71. that is a 22 crept center cheapn

a year ago. many parents are giving their children solid food way too soon. it says nearly one out of every ten parents surveyed says they gave their infants solid foods when they were as young as four weeks old and 40% say they fed their child before they were four months old. doctors say parents should wait until their baby is six months old before giving them solid food. allergy experts reportedly are expecting a very robust allergy season. some are even calling it a pollen nightmare. western and central states already are seeing above average pollen counts, most due to above average rainfall. we're hearing from the first interview with jerry sandusky since he was convicted of sexually abusing ten boys. the former penn state assistant football coach spoke to an independent filmmaker who is working on a documentary entitled framing paterno. one expert heard this morning on

nbc's "today" show sandusky spoke of mike mcqueary changing his story. >> there are a lot of things that transpired. i think these investigators, the way they went about business, his story changed a lot. >> sarah gannam has been following the story. what do where he though about the documentary filmmaker? >> his name is john zeigler and he's done this before, he's attached himself to high profile cases. he did it about four years ago with sarah palin and the steubenville, ohio rape case and he started to do this more than a year ago about joe paterno. what he did was he created a website a little more than a year ago and posts to it almost daily trying to exonerate joe

paterno. his motive is very clear. that that is why he went in and did this jailhouse interview with jerry sandusky. now, what's interesting is that when joe paterno's family actually learned that he was going this route, that he was essentially teaming up with jerry sandusky to help exonerate their father, they distanced themselves greatly. they said we didn't want to have anything to do with this, we don't believe this is the right thing to do, this is a misguided effort. and i want to have you listen to what zeigler actually told the "today" show this morning when he learned that. >> i put a year of my life into this with no compensation, no thought of compensation. only wanted to do one thing, which was to find out the truth of the matter was, which is joepa ter knee's dying wish and i've done everything i could possibly do to try it find out the truth of this matter. >> zeigler actually went after one of paterno's sons, scott, on his website and in a family statement, they said the family believes that any attempt to use

this recording as a defense of joe paterno is misguided and inappropriate. >> wow. i suspect penn state's not very happy about any of this coming up again either. >> that's right. we actually heard from one of the victims' attorneys this morning. i spoke to a child advocate and penn state issued a statement and said all three of them said the same thing, this is reopening wounds for these assault victims who are trying to move forward. child advocate said if we learn anything from this this morning, it's that these people never really completely heal because this stuff is constantly being brought back up. >> sarah ganim reporting live for us this morning. thanks. up next, talk back question this morning. can new york city mayor michael bloomberg buy gun control? facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carol cnn. but what we'd rather be making are tee times.

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now is your chance to talk back a one of the big stories of the day. the question this morning, can

mire blo mayor bloomberg buy gun control? it is an epic fight. bloomberg versus the national rifle association. bloomberg threw his mayors against gun violence group is dropping $12 million on gun control ads. >> my dad taught me to hunt and i'll teach my kids. i've owned a gun all my life and i'll fight for my right to keep it. background checks have nothing to do with taking guns away from anyone. closing loopholes will stop criminals and the dangerously mental ill from buying guns. that protects my right. >> tell congress don't protect criminals, vote to protect gun rights and our families with comprehensive background checks. demand action now. >> but the ads also target democratic senators who are undecided on new gun control measures. >> i think i have a responsibility and i think you and all of your viewers have responsibilities to try to make

this country safer for our families and for each other. if i can cocan do that by spend money and taking nra from being the only voice to being one of the voices so that the public can understand the issue, i think my money would be well spent. >> the nra calls it an attempt by the mayor to impose his will on the american people. >> they didn't want them in their restaurants, in their homes, telling what food to eat. they sure don't want him tellinging them what self against firearms to own. and he can't buy america. >> or as a conservative blogger put it, the loathsome nanny state mayor is now going after your guns. what w. that kind baggage, how effective can bloomberg be with all of his millions? talk back question for you today, can bloomberg buy gun control? frsz zap technology.

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good morning. it's 30 past the hour. s a the opening bell rings on wall street, investors hope u.s. stocks will react positively to the big cyprus bailout deal. christine romans is at the new york stock exchange. are things looking up? >> futures higher here. one of the reasons is because cyprus is a tiny economy, but this would be the fourth european bailout. the fact that at the 11th hour it looks like disagreed to, it takes away an uncertainty for the market and the path of least resistance returns. and what is that path? higher. this has been been incredible year for stocks. anybody with a stock market investment has seen fantastic rushes. the s&p 500 hasn't hit a record

high, a new record high yet, but it's very close now. could happen in the next couple of days. that's what the s&p looks like over the past 12 months. the s&p over the past year is up almost 12%. just this year so far, up 9%. that's the kind of return if you had a return like that, it would be the envy of all of your friends. and for anybody who is just a plain vanilla stock market investor, they've had a good run. looks like banks will probably lead higher. watch shares of blackberry. lower pre-market. >> christine romans, thanks so much. ford in and advertising firm are apologizing for a recent ad that used questionable judgment. it's a cartoon showing three scantily clad women tied up and gagged in the back of a hatch back. and the man in the front seat looks a lot like the italian prime minister silvio berlusconi who has been accused of throwing sex parties. and in another ad, the driver

resembles paris hilton and the women in back look like the kardashian sisters. the advertising company says the ads should never have been made. it is the first week of spring, but millions of us are not buying it. a wicked storm is dumping about 7 inches of snow from st. louis to pittsburgh. some areas could be buried under a foot. airlines have canceled hundreds of flights today and washington, baltimore and philadelphia are in for one sloppy mess. in fact it's already here. some areas will see a few inches of a slushy mix. in just a few hours, a public memorial will take place for the colorado prison chief shot and killed at his home. today's service for tom clements is at the colorado springs mega church not far from where he was gunned down last tuesday night. on sunday clements' family and friends held a private funeral.investigation into the shooting centers around a former colorado prison inmate and gang member, evan ebel, who was killed in a shoot-out with texas sheriff's deputies.

he's also investigated in the death of a colorado pizza delivery driver. jim spellman is in colorado springs with more. >> reporter: we're learning more about tom clements. he only worked here for about two years and he's really left a huge mark on all the people that we've been able to talk to that have worked with him. and remarkably, even though apparently he was gunned down by a former prisoner, he's still pushing, his family is still pushing for the state to continue reforms that he was working on that would perhaps give more opportunities for inmates that were just released. we got to speak to roxanne white, the governor's chief of staff are and someone who worked on a daily basis with tom clements and considered herself a good friend of his. listen. >> last night at the family memorial, lisa asked us to find forgiveness and to pray for forgiveness and that we double down on the efforts that tom had made to create a better system.

and so today my commitment to tom, our commitment to tom, is we will double down on the reforms he was working on. >> reporter: later this morning, the governor himself will speak here at the memorial. and i heard a cute story this morning. the daughter of tom clements, sarah, they have become so close with the governor and his family that she asked the governor to bring his poppy, sky, to the private funeral yesterday. that's how close these people have all become. so it's really having a huge impact throughout state government here in colorado. >> jim spellman reporting live from colorado springs this morning. a milestone for marriage equality this week as the u.s. supreme court hears oral arguments on prop 8 and the defense of marriage act. it comes amid growing support as more americans say they think xwa and lesbian couples should have the legal right to get married and as the republican party is urged by its own self

review to solve then its tone on the issue particularly if republicans want to the attract young voter. and none other than karl rove says candidates for the next president ticket could be influenced about. >> you can imagine the next candidate saying flat out i'm for gay marriage? >> i could. >> and then karl rove quickly changed the subject. joining me now cnn contributor lz granderson and analyst for the blaze will cain. welcome to you both. >> good morning. >> morning, carol. >> so it's 34 degrees today. it's been snowing here in washington. but that is not deterring these people. they have been camping out at the supreme court, some of them since friday in the hopes of getting a good -- can you believe this? they're waiting to get into the court to hear the oral arguments. there is intense interest in this issue. why do you think that is, lz?

>> well, i'll tell you one thing. i plan on joining those people in a few hours. i'll be on a plane headed to dc and speaking at one of the rallies tomorrow. and it's because this has been a long time coming. if you can expect americans to sit outside of retailers for two, three days in advance for black friday, you can imagine what people, what americans who have been denied their benefits and rights as americans have baby anticipating this for a really long time. the question is will the supreme court have the courage to go beyond just the state of california and actually do what we know history will show to do, which is prove that there is no room for discrimination in this country, there is no room for discrimination in the law of the land. >> there is such optimism, will cain, among gay rights advocates that the u.s. supreme court will rule in their favor. are they right to be so optimistic, though? >> there are two separate cases. there is the one dealing with the defense of marriage act at the federal level and then the one dealing with proposition 8

in california. i do think all those people you show waiting out front assuming they're supporters of same-sex marriage can be optimistic about the defense of marriage act being struck down. but i don't think they should carry as much enthusiasm for the supreme court to yknock down prp 8. i think they will look for a narrow decision that affects possibility just the state of california and they will do that because they want to see the political process play out. they have seen through history with examples like roe v. wade that it's better for democracy to sort these things out than to come from the court. that's just a political analysis and prediction. >> and i hear you. and i just want to read to you, lz, something justice kennedy was quoted in the "washington post," he said a democracy should not be depended for its major decisions on what nine unelected people from a narrow legal background have to say. he seems to be saying this issue

is already playing out in political circles. it's playing out in individual states. so why should it be up to the supreme court to decide. >> that's like asking why should the supreme court get into decide regarding race. you know, this notion that comparing marriage equality to roe v. wade may work when it comes to hypotheticals among those deep into the law, but when it comes to morality, there really is no comparison. this isn't about whether or not someone should have their right to choose to guide their own bodies. this is something the supreme court has already ruled on 14 times and that is marriage. marriage is a fundamental right of americans. they have already decided this 14 times. so really what this is just a repeat of something that justices before them have done. one other thing i would like to make note of is that this isn't

about unelected officials. these officials, these justices, were appointed by presidents who were appointed. and that means the american people indirectly did vote for these people because they voted for a president that they knew had a certain political leanings. and those leanings helped influence who they picked to be justices. >> no, no, that's just a misunderstanding of the role of the justices. they are inherently there to stand in the way of the can democratic process. they are inherently there to defend the rights of minorities over the vote of majorities. that's the role of supreme court. that being said, what we're confusing here is this. i actually think prop 8 is unconstitution al. i think it's a violation. but the question is whether it will be struck down. and what i'm telling you is because of their experience with roe v. wade and because that halted debate in this country and laws that banned interracial marriage, by the time they

knocked that down, which was a long time coming, 20 states had already gotten rid of those laws. they like to seat democratic process play out because the country is better off having the debate publicly rather than judges stopping it cold in its tracks. that being said, i think they should. i think same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional. i'm telling you that what you can expect this week. >> we'll have to end it there. thanks to you both. i'm sure you'll be back again this week to talk more about this very issue. coming up, punishment by the pound. the shocking suggestion to base airfare on how much you weigh. if youthen this willbrids arbe a nice surprise. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. c-max come. c-max go. c-max give a ride to everyone it knows. c max has more passenger volume than competitor prius v and we haven't even mentioned...

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42 past the hour. time to check your top stories. for millions, march is going out like a lion.

a wick withed storm dumping about 7 inches from st. louis to pittsburgh. some areas could be buried under a foot of snow. airlines have canceled hundreds of delights today. washington, baltimore and philadelphia in for one sloppy mess. some areas will see a few inches of a slushy mix. fwloo a night on the town ends with a car on a roof. a california man loses control of his car on a steep driveway and ends up driving on to his neighbor's roof. he says his brakes failed. no one in the car or in the house was hurt. a crane had to be brought in, though, to get the car down. police say this is the second time the driver has hidden in a neighbor's house. the ceo of starbucks sticking up for same sex marriage and facing off with a shareholder. facing a recent boycott due to its stance for same-sex marriage, and in a recent shareholder meeting, one man argued the boycott had hurt first quarter profits. the ceo pushed back. >> it is not an economic decision. we employ over 200,000 people in

this company and we want to embrace diversity of all kinds. if you feel respectfully that you can get a higher return than the 38% that you got last year, it's a free country. you can sell your shares at starbucks and buy shares in another company. thank you very much. >> last fall starbucks backed a washington state bill to legalize same-sex marriage. that bill later became law. here is a golf lesson for you. no lie is up playable. sergio garcia hit a tee shot into a tree. he turned his back backwards and knocked the ball back into the fairway. he got a double pbogey on the hole. tiger woods leads the tournament going into today's final round. and here is an idea that has a lot of people outraged. pricing a plane ticket based on how much you weigh. here is zain verjee. >> how would you feel about

declaring your weight each time you buy a plane ticket? actually you'd be okay because you're pretty thin. but i think i may have to pay a little bit more lately junki ju by things around here. an academic in norway is suggesting airlines introduce a pay as you weigh scheme. he's suggesting three ways to do it. one, you pay ticket prices per pound. two, a fixed low fare with heavier passengers paying a sur charge. and his other idea is a low fare and then the lighter thinner passengers basically get a discount. for airlines, every single pound means more jet fuel has to be burned and it costs more money. so the the question is, is there going to be a weighing scale every time you check in or will there be a fat chance of that happening? >> i would agree with that one. the supreme court prepares to hear arguments tomorrow on california's controversial prop 8 which defines marriage as

being a man and woman. but some of hollywood's a-list are making their case today. nischelle turner looks at how they feel about the ban on same-sex marriage. >> reporter: if the fight for same-sex marriage is a war, many in hollywood are on the front line. >> what make this is nation great is our freedoms. and the idea of equality. >> we must demand full equality for all. >> it's about time the supreme court weighed in on it and hopefully they will come down in favor of it. >> reporter: from movies to music to television, there is a long list of entertainers two publicly support same-sex marriage. >> we've been talking about it for a long time. >> reporter: for jesse tyler-ferguson and his fiance, the fight is personal. >> it's lying an uphill battle. justin actually works in the field, so he live it is every day. >> reporter: he works for the american foundation for equal rights. which was created in 2008 to sponsor the lawsuit filed by two

california couples challenging prop 8. the state's ban on same-sex marriage. the board is full of entertainment heavy weights like bruce cohen and dustin lance black. >> this is a nonpartisan issue. >> reporter: while some are working behind the scenes in the fight, others are openly asking the supreme court to allow gay people to marry. talk show host and came meetian ellen degeneres married her wife, portia de rossi, four years ago when same-sex marriage couples were briefly allowed to wed in california. the legal recognition of their marriage will hinge on how the state supreme court weighs in on the state's proposition 8. in a letter to the court, degeneres addressed marriage equality with a touch of her trademark humor. reading in part, portia and i have been married for four years and they have been the happiest of my life. and in those four years, i don't think we hurt anyone else's

marriage. i asked all of my neighbors and they say they're fine. it may be months before we know how the supreme court will rule on same-sex marriage. but many celebrities believe hollywood is already on the right side of history. and hope the court follows. >> absolutely will be done this week. i can't even imagine anything else. to me it's an he will be embarr hasn't been done. >> the march always leads toward equality. and i think i just terribly paraphrased that, but that's what we're hoping for. >> it will be overturned i hope. >> reporter: one corner of california united under the banner of marriage equality. nischelle turner, cnn, hollywood. up next, your talk back question, can mayor bloomberg buy gun control? facebook page on fire. at tyco integrated security, we consider ourselves business optimizers.

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. talk back question for you today, can the new york city mayor buy gun control? this from arthur. no, the nra can run 20 5ds for each ad bloomberg runs. besides we have a congress that would not approve anything that makes sense. in his own mifrnd, ewn mind, he

can. and from dick, you ask can bloomberg buy gun control when the question should be how long can the nra buy congress. please keep the conversation going. facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me. 26 down, 7 to go. the miami heat do it again and move closer to the nba's all-time winning streak. bleacher report next.

have you check the your bracket this morning? i'm sure you have. and i'm sure you're crying because i bet you didn't have florida gulf coast in the sweet 16, did you? andy schultz joins us with bleacher report. good morning. >> good morning. well, if anyone had the eagles winning two games in their bracket, there's probably a good chance they attended school at florida gulf coast because yesterday they did something no one has ever done and that's make the sweet 16 as a 15 seed. in just their second year of being eligible for the tournament, florida gulf coast is making it look easy out there. they went on a 17-0 run in the second half to cruise past san diego state. up next a trip to north texas will they will look to continue their cinderella run. ohio state aaron craft rescued the buckeyes with a game winning three with under a second to go as osu escaped with a 78-75 win over iowa state.

one seed indiana also on the ropes against temple, but victor oladipo clutch down the stretch, part of a 10-0 run to end the game. they went on to secure their second straight trip to the sweet 16. joey logano continues to make enemies. fighting for the lead on the final lap at fontana, hamlin crashes hard into the wall. he would have to be air lifted to the hospital. but would be okay. after the race, logano's troubles continued as tony stewart came after him. the two had to be separated and afterwards stewart didn't hold back his disdain for logano. >> what the hell do you think i was mad about? dumb little [ bleep ] runs us clear down to the in-field. he wants to [ bleep ] about everybody else and he's the one that drives like little [ bleep ] i'm going to bust his [ bleep ]. >> thanks, tony. the heat streak now at 26 in a row after they handled the bobcats last night. lebron leading the way with 32 points. miami just seven wins away from tying the '71 lakers for their record of 33 wins in a row.

the heat kick off a four game road trip tonight in orlando. this must be the year of the half court shot. last night a fannic pd o inic p of the crowd to take a shot and nails it. you see the entire video, head over to bleacher report.com. i don't know what's in the water down there in florida, but between the heat, the hurricanes, the gators and florida gulf coast, everyone just seems to be playing good basketball down there. >> you're right about that. that was an exciting game. and good for them. thanks so much. next hour of cnn newsroom after a quick break. zap technology. arrival. with hertz gold plus rewards, you skip the counters, the lines, and the paperwork. zap. it's our fastest and easiest way to get you into your car. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz.

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happening now, first week of spring? more like the last fury of winter. treacherous roads snarled air traffic and up to a foot of snow and the spring surprise is marching eastward. the family of missing brown university student says it seems like years and now the fb sichlt stepping in. >> and we've seen the arguments for and against same-sex marriage. the cases are front and center before the nation's highest court. formula or food? just how old should an infant be to start eating solid food? apparently many moms are starting way too early. you're live in the cnn newsroom.

good morning from washington. thank you so much for joining me. i'm carol costello. we begin with a wintry mess scoffing at the calendar. yeah, it's officially the first week of spring. try telling that to millions of americans in the midwest and mid-atlantic states. >> my car was complely sideways coming up the hill. and so thank god i managed to get right here in the center and i've many here about 45 minutes waiting on a tow truck. >> a lot of people can relate. up to 7 inches of snow from st. louis to pittsburgh and some areas will be buried under a foot of snow. and it's not just snow that made for wild weekend weather. that's amazing, that's hail blanketing the ground. much of the eastern half of the country has seen any combination of high winds, thunderstorms and of course snow and hail. in just a minute we'll tell you where the storm is heading. but first let's show where you

it is. martin savidge is in pittsburgh this morning standing in a couple inches of snow. >> reporter: i am indeed. it's all in your state of mind. this is the first snowstorm of the season. the spring season. which is why people are so depressed here in pittsburgh because they look at the caller d calendar. they got the 1 to 3. snow is tapering off. light rain falling now. pittsburgh in the background looks pretty. the drive not that bad for a monday morning commute. slowed, but not stopped. about 400 school closings or delays. and then on top of that, they have problems at the airport mainly due to deicing. but out west all weekend, they had a terrible time with this. it is still moving east, but at least for now in the as bad in pittsburgh. we should point out the real

tragedy for the kids is the fact that many of them would have loved this as a snow day except they're on spring break. p. >> i don't know why i'm laughing. you know, the thing is it's not even going to get warm in these areas until mid april. and that's really the depressing part to me. >> reporter: right. i think you look at the buds in the trees here, they're covered with though. they know it will come. just you can't wait and especially on a monday morning, this is not what you want to face. >> definitely not. martin satisfy vanvidge reporti pittsburgh. a 9-year-old girl is being praised for her courage. she smelled gasoline, so she turned off the car's ignition and crawled out of the wreckage and inched across the terrain filled with brush, snakes and coyotes. she wanted to get help for her father who was injured. sadly, though, bri the time officers arrived, her father had

died of his injuries. authorities in mississippi are investigating the death of state representative jessica upshaw. officials say they found the state lawmaker dead at the home of a former state lawmaker. upshaw apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. more than a week of searching has not turned up any clues about a missing brown university student. the fbi is now in the case. he did not have his cell phone or wallet with him when he was last seen march 16th. he was on approved leave from the school when he disappeared. his sister said he had been struggling recently with depression. t-mobile says no more contracts. the phone giant will now charge customers flat prices for minutes and texting. only prices for web usage would vary depending on how much data you wanted. charges are already available online. allergy experts are reportedly exceptth expecting a robust allergy season. some are calling it a pollen

nightmare. western and central states already are seeing above average pollen counts. most of that due to above average rainfall. the u.s. supreme court is gearing up to hear two big cases involving same-sex marriage beginning tomorrow. and people are lining up outside the court to witness history. some have been camped out in the cold since thursday night. they're vying for about 250 seats reserved for the public for each case while many are waiting in line to hear the debate for themselves, others are being paid to hold a spot for big law firms or advocacy groups. when oral arguments begin tomorrow, it will mark the first time the high court has directly deviled into the highly controversial issue. they will first hear a case involving california's prop 8 which banned same-sex marriage in california. on wednesday they will hear a challenge to the defense of marriage act, or doma. that federal law defines marriage as being one man and one woman. edith windsor of new york is a plaintiff in the doma case. she fought back when she

received an inheritance tax bill for $363,000 when her partner of 42 years died in 2009. here's what she told you in an earlier interview. >> new york state accepted my marriage as a marriage. and i believe and the justice department and the president agreed with me that the law doma is unconstitutional. doma is cruel. it discriminates against us for absolutely no value to the country. and we'd like to see that defeated all together. >> joe johns is in washington with more on what's ahead this week. morning, joe. >> morning. these are two of the most important cases of the year for the supreme court. the case involving edith windsor is actually the second case scheduled to be heard this week on wednesday. that challenge to the federal defense of marriage act.

this is the law passed by congress and signed by the pld in 1996 that takes away benefits of marriage of same-sex couples on the federal level. doma can affect over 1,000 benefits. everything from the way married couples pay their taxes to who getting notified as next of kin in the event military personnel are injured or killed in the line of duty. the first case on the docket on tuesday is a challenge to california's proposition 8 which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. it's about equal protection and whether the fundamental right of marriage extends to same-sex couples. it's being brought by same-sex couples from california who say they have the right to be married fp there is also a very interesting question here of whether the people defending proposition 8 are able to showi case. supporters of prop x 8 has to show same-sex marriage causes them tangible harm.

>> it's interesting because there seems to be such optimism on the part of gay rights advocates that they will rule in their favor. >> and the question of course is whether now is the time. there has been an internal debate in legal circles whether this is the time to actually bring cases like this because it's all happened rather quickly. you think about 1996 and doma, you think about proposition 8 which was just a few years ago. and the state, if you look at the states, most states still have laws forbidding gay marriage in one form or another and just a few have laws supporting it. so it will be a very interesting question and probably decided by the end of june. >> you have a busy week to hear these initial arguments for and against same-sex marriage. joe johns reporting live from washington. this might look like snow. but it's hail in kentucky. the latest on the crazy spring we're having next.

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the storm system making the first week of spring feel an awful lot like winter. it's dumping about 7 inches from st. louis to pittsburgh. some areas could be buried under a foot. much of eastern half of the country has seen any combination of high wind, thunderstorms and of course snow and hail. jerry sandusky speaking out for the first time since his conviction on child sex abuse. a documentary filmmaker working on a project to exonerate the late joe paterno interviewed sandusky and one excerpt airing on the "today" show this morning you can sandusky described why he thought mike mcqueary's story changed. >> i think there's a lot of things that transpired. i think these investigators, the way they went about business, the story changed a lot. >> the paterno family is

distancing itself from the filmmaker's project saying they believe any attempt to use this recording as a defense of joe paterno is misguided and inappropriate. cbs is apologizing to veterans for an amazing race episode some found quite offensive and parts of the episode filmed in vietnam, a fragment of a downed b a-52 bomr memorial with your used as a prop. american legion thanked cbs for admit to go the mistake and accepted its apology. joey logano continues to make enemies out on the track. vying for the lead on the final lap at fontana, logano and hamlin got tangled up. hamlin crashes into the wall and would have to be air lifted to the hospital, but would be okay. after the race, logano's troubles continued as tony stewart came after him. the two had to be separated. stewart was angry about a

maneuver he said blocked him. same-sex marriage, the high court ready to hear oral arguments on two momentous case this is week. some call the push for same-sex marriage the civil rights issue of our time. they say the tide has turned and that it's time for a change. even karl rove thinks, yes, a republican candidate could embrace same-sex marriage. >> you can imagine the next presidential campaign, a republican candidate saying flat out i'm for gay marriage? >> i could. >> and that's all karl rove would say. i'm joined by san francisco city town dennis herrera and austin nimox. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> thank you for having us. >> austin, you heard what karl rove just said. are you on the wrong side of

history? >> the only side of history with regard to marriage is the right one regarding the truth. and that really should be decided by the american people. americans have an inevitable and inalienable right to determine our own history and that's really a fundamental aspect of america. we have a massive political debate going on in this country about marriage. and the last thing we need is the supreme court to take this debate away from the american people, print a 50 state solution to the marriage question. that's not what we want. we have democratic institutions for a reason and we need to keep using them as we debate marriage, its meaning and its importance to our society. >> and dennis, prop 8 was approved by voters in california. you want the u.s. supreme court to overturn that law. some say the court maybe loath to do that even with the public ever increasingly on the side of same-sex marriage. are you really that optimistic? >> i am. i just want to go back to austin's point in talk about the political process. if wrerp to follow that line of argument, twlld nobody reason to have a constitution.

and no reason to have an equal protection clause which is precisely there to protect disfavored minorities from the tyranny of the majority. and the fact of the matter is we've had this debate for quite some time. you've seen a massive shift in public perception and opinion and i think that's precisely because we have put discrimination on trial for nine years in my case. and what we've seen is when you put the face of discrimination on family and friends, people understand there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to discriminate against gays and lesbians from exercising their fundamental right for marry. so we're very optimistic in this case. >> the supreme court has ruled on similar issues. for example interracial marriage. why shouldn't it rule on this issue? >> marriage has always been color blind, but it's not gender

blind. a cornerstone of western civilization, something that has existed with for us hundreds and thousands of years before the idea of same-sex marriage even existed is all of a sudden unconstitutional and that american shoes have no right whatsoever to uphold this ideal in our public policy is really an outlandish argument. we're talking about something that is a fundamental cornerstone of our society. americans still believe in marriage because of its importance to our society and all of a sudden it can't just become unconstitutional. and that's why the supreme court doesn't need to work with a heavy hand here. we really need the supreme court to allow us to work through this through our democratic institution. there is no fundamental right to same-sex marriage in the u.s. constitution. and that's very clear. >> dennis, austin might be on to something. in the "washington post," ju tis kennedy is quoted saying democracy should not be dependent on what nine unelected people decide on such a big issue. he seems to be saying where he should just let the process play out and let the voters decide.

the tide has already turned. could austin be right in part? >> i think if go back and look at justice kennedy's opinions when it comes to issues that are very much related as he's sirnl not in favor of taking away rights and discriminates againsts gays and lesbians by names them an inferior class. he's made that quite clear. to austin's point, we're not talking about a fundamental right to same-sex marriage. we're talking about a fundamental right to marriage. that has pain enshrined in supreme court precedent for over 100 year. and we just want lesbian and gay individuals to have the same rights as that are opposite sex brethren and it's up to the other side to show why there is any rational reason to discriminate against our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and to date they have been totally unable to show that.

>> okay. so i'm going to ask you your beliefs about -- well, you'll get it when i ask you. austin, if the u.s. supreme court rules that same-sex marriage is constitutional, now the law of the land, what will you do? >> the debate on marriage is not going to end in this country. the supreme court can no more settle the question of this marriage debate than it settled the question of abortion. americans are more pro-life now than at anytime since roe v. wade because the debate continued. so that's why we need the supreme court to not rule with a her have i hand here. this is a rich supreme court precedent about marriage. and it has always been about one man and one woman. mr. herrera's argument he wants to redefine marriage and apply past supreme court precedence to it, it doesn't work that way. marriage has always been one man and one woman and americans should have the constitutional and legal right to continue to uphold that in public policy. it's a political debate. it's not a constitutional question and where he nee need t

to the political processes. >> dennis, i will ask you the question. if the supreme court rules in doma, what do you do next? >> i think it's pretty clear that as far as prop 8, the united states supreme court is the final arbiter. but i take great solace in the fact that the incredible change in public opinion not the just in california, but across the country. recent poll in california now shows that 62% of californians are in favor of marriage equality and a recent poll abc "washington post" shows that nationwide 58% of americans are in favor of marriage equality. so we've always talked about being on the right side of history. we've been there since 2004. and i'm confident we'll be victorious in the supreme court. but even if not, the political winds certainly demonstrate that americans are no longer in favor of discriminating against gay and lesbian people. >> it all begins tomorrow. dennis, and yustin, thank you s much for joining us. up next, our talk back

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doing two things at once is better. and only at&t's network lets you talk and surf on your iphone 5. ♪ now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. can bloomberg buy gun control? an epic fight. new york city mayor bloomberg versus the national rifle association over gun control. bloomberg threw his mayors against gun violence group is dropping $12 million on gun control ads. >> my dad taught me to hunt and i'll teach my kids. i've owned a gun all my life and i'll fight for my right to keep it. background checks have nothing to do with taking guns away from anyone. closing loopholes will stop the mentally ill from buying guns. it that protects my rights in my

favor. >> tell congress don't protect criminals. vote to protect gun rights and our families with comprehend then suffer ba back xround cheground checks. >> and the ads also target democratic senators who are undy decided. >> i think we have responsibilities to try to make this country safe foreour families and for each other. and if i can do that by spending some money and taking the nra from being the only voice to being one of the voices so that the public can understand the issue, then i think my money would be well spent. >> the nra calls bloomberg's money bomb an attempt by the mayor to impose his will on the american people. >> they don't want him in their restaurants, they don't want him in their home, they don't want him telling them what food to eat. they sure don't want him telling him what self-defense firearms to own and he can't buy america.

>> or as a conservative blogger put it, the loathsome nanny state mayor is now after your guns. with that kind of baggage, how effective can bloomberg be? talk back question for you, can bloomberg buy gun control? are you damaging your baby's health? find out what 40% of parents are doing that could cause serious medical issues for their babies.

good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for being with me. checking our top stories at half past the hour, it is the first week of spring, but millions of americans are not buying that. a wicked storm is dumping about 7 inches of though from sainsno

to pittsburgh. schools have closed and airlines have canceled hundreds of flights. in just about 90 minutes, a public memorial will begin for the colorado prison chief killed last week. tom clements was shot in the chest when he opened the door of his home. the chief of staff for colorado's governor says clements was expecting his daughter to be at the door. despite the tragedy, clements family wants to focus on forgiveness. >> last night at the family memorial, lisa asked us to find forgiveness and to pray for forgiveness and that we double down on the efforts that tom had made to create a better system. and so today my commitment to tom, our commitment to tom, is we will double down on the reforms he was working on. >> the investigation into the shooting centers on a former colorado inmate and gang member, evan ebel, who was killed in a shoot-out with texas sheriff's deputies. he's also being investigated for

the death of a colorado pizza delivery driver. the italian supreme court will decide if amanda knox should stand trial again for the murder of her roommate. the american student whose story captured worldwide headlines spent four years in an italian jail before her murder conviction was overturned. if the court approves a retrail, knox might be forced to return to italy. in health news this morning, many parents are giving their children solid food way too soon. that's according to the "new york times" quoting the cdc. it says nearly one out of every ten parents surveyed said they gave their infant solid food when they were as young as four week old. 40% say they fed their child before they were four months old. doctors say parent shoes wait until their baby is six months old before giving them solid food. a 15-year-old boy accused of killing a 13 month old baby just appeared before a georgia judge. he's the younger of who teens charged with first-degree murder in the baby's death last

thursday. nick valencia is outside the court in brunswick, georgia. tell us what happened. >> reporter: yeah, i'm outside of the glep county courthouse where the 15ed-year-old suspect made his first appearance. the court or the judge has not told cnn whether this 15-year-old will be tried as an adult. we were initially told by police that he was being treated as a juvenile. they also initially told us that he was about 14 years old. when this juvenile entered the courtroom, he looked back at the back row just a room full of journalists, no family members. the family says they were not allowed in there. this juvenile looked back at the journalists not saying anything. he appeared to be drowning in that orange jump suit and he addressed the judge only to acknowledge the charges that felony murder charge against him. the judge asked the juvenile whether or not he had any procedural questions at which point he said no, sir. after exiting the courthouse, i came out here and the family of

that eighth grader told us that the suspects do not know each other. they claim that juvenile had nothing to do with the incident. they also tell cnn that the 17-year-old lettened to kill the juvenile. we asked the attorney for the 17-year-old demarcus elkins whether or not this client knew that 15-year-old. he did not answer the question. in fact he's going to hold an 11:30 a.m. press conference in just a little over an hour now. we'll be there and we'll bring that to you. but that's the latest from the courts. >> so is the court alleging that the 15-year-old wielded the gun in this case? >> reporter: well, we understand from police it was an anonymous tip that led them to this juvenile suspect. the police tell us that during questioning, the juvenile suspect pointed at the 17-year-old as the fatal shooter. it's also worth pointing out that the mother sherry west, the mother of the 13 month old, who was shot and killed, told thaws

it was the 17-year-old, the older suspect, who was the fatal shooter. >> all right. nick valencia reporting live for us this morning. still to come, one tiny island nation's help boosts u.s. markets. and a little less pain at the pump. find out what's helping push gas prices down. at od, whatever business you're in, that's the business we're in with premium service like one of the best on-time delivery records and a low claims ratio, we do whatever it takes to make your business our business. od. helping the world keep promises. departure. hertz gold plus rewards also offers ereturn-- our fastest way to return your car. just note your mileage and zap ! you're outta there ! we'll e-mail your receipt in a flash, too. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz.

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cyprus bailed out and world markets and u.s. markets for that matter go wild. let's head to wall street now. zain asher live in new york. tell us what's happening. >> the dow is up absolutely. s&p also hovering around 1564, less than one point away from it record high. the dow as you know hit a string of repor records two weeks ago, but we

watch the s&p at more closely. take a look. last time we hit a record was 2007. now up 9% in just three month. s&p pulled back slightly last week. now it looks like we have dodged a bullet in the near term. cyprus won't be forced out of the eurozone. plus ensureds i deposits under $100,000 will be protected. a lot of questions remain unanswered. this is the fourth you'european country to get a bailout. also what message does this bank tax send to depositors across europe? is this a new way of dealing with a crisis. how long will it take for cyprus' economy to recover from this. but i think the feeling here is that this is a small country, so the global markets won't be too heavily impacted from this. >> we like riding the roller

coaster that is wall street. we're used for it by now. >> certainly a roller coaster, yeah. >> thanks so much. ain't no mountain high enough. see how a teenager with down syndrome is leaving historic footprints on the world's tallest mountain. when the docte that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms.

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and others hitting the roads. gas prices have dropped. average price is $3.71. that's 22 cents a gallon cheaper than a year ago. >> the irs is apologizing for the star trek inspired video the agency used to train employees. the video and another one that paritied "gilligan's island" were part of a conference three years ago. the irs says the clips did not reflect the best steward ship of resources and policy changes ensure videos like these will never be made again. prince harry will head this way for several days in may to go cuss on procefocus on charit supports. he'll skip las vegas this time. history on mt. everest where a 15-year-old oregon teenager became the first person with down syndrome to climb to base camp. he trained a whole year before going with his dad on the two

week 70 mile hike. >> he actually led the way. we were dragging, we were experiencing our own sense of disability as we went up into the mountains and he led us all the way to base camp. it was an amazing experience and we just praise god that we made it there safely, and we made it back. >> the trip was part of a mission to raise money and awareness for disabled children. in sports, as if the miami heat wasn't already hot enough with its winning streak. the team's merchandise is flying off the shelves. sales of heat items up 30% this year compared to 2012. that's according to sports one source. if the team keeps winning through april 9, it would break the league record of 33 straight wins. a great white shark charges a diving cage this south africa. you see it thrashing around just inches from two terrified divers. yes, every was okay.

the diver closest to the shark was just married the day before. but as i said, everyone is okay. our talk back question this morning, can new york city mayor michael bloomberg buy gun control? your responses and our panel ahead. there are patients who will question, why does my mouth feel dryer than i remember it to be? there are more people taking more medication, so we see people suffering from dry mouth more so. we may see more cavities, bad breath, oral irritation. a dry mouth sufferer doesn't have to suffer. i would recommend biotene. the enzymes in biotene products help supplement enzymes that are naturally in saliva. biotene helps moisten those areas that have become dry. those that are suffering can certainly benefit from biotene.

talk back question, can bloomberg buy gun control? new york city mayor through his mayors against gun violence group is dropping $12 million of his own money on gun control ads. >> my dad taught me to hunt and i'll teach my kids. i've owned a gun all my life and i'll fight for my right to keep it. background checks have nothing to do with taking guns away from anyone. closing loopholes will stop criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from buying guns. that protects my rights in my opinion. >> tell congress don't protect criminals. vote to protect grun rights and our families. so the ads also target democratic senators who are undecided on new gun control measures. the nra is calling bloomberg's money bomb an attempt by the hair to impose his will on the american people. >> they don't want him in their

restaurants or homes or telling them what food to eat. they sure don't want them telling what self-defense firearms to own and he can't buy america. >> joining me now to talk more about this, jason johnson, politics 365, and political science professor. and patrick millsaps, former chief of staff for newt gingrich's presidential campaign. welcome to both of you. so jason, the ad features a guy in a pickup wearing a hat, talking about background checks. good optics. isn't look like he's from new york city. is it effective? >> all he needed was chew tobacco and be watching hee-haw. here's the the thing. bloomberg isn't buying anything. if there is any group of political people in this country who have a right to talk about gun violence, it is mayors of major cities. because they're the ones talking to cops every day. they're the ones talking to victims. they're the ones dealing with the emergency room cause of

people being shot all the time. so perfectly legitimate lobbying. nra is just mad that guns are getting smarter with their optics. >> and more than one viewer because i asked this question of my facebook friends, and i'll read you one from randy about bloomberg, he's no more buying gun control than the nra is buying and blackmailing members of congress to be against it. it's the same thing, isn't it? >> if they're buying and blackmailing members of congress, apparently they failed with harry reid since he's the one that is dismantling the bill that the democratic party said the country needs. i'm for the bloomberg ads because i think they will backfire as much as mitt romney's etch a sketch did. yesterday when bloomberg was interviewed, he said that this was a way for him to educate people and in these red states where i live in south georgia, we don't need the education from michael bloomberg about our

guns, rights to guns. most are in favor of some type of backgrund checks. in georgia, to have a carry permit, you have one. the devil is in the details. i'm not confident in eric holder and the department of justice to implement laws, new laws on the books when he won't even enforce the current gun laws on the books. >> so does patrick have something here that mayor bloomberg's reputation as a guy who runs a nanny state or tries to, does he really have any sway over people who are on the fence? >> this is a political red herring. oh, this week it's michael bloomberg and it used to be nancy pelosi and it used to be barack obama. you can use all the scary liberal names, but the reality on the ground, police who don't tend to vote democratic, even police are in favor of what the mayors are suggesting. michael bloomberg maying t be t face, but he's speaking for

mayors there cleveland, from detroit, from indianapolis. mayors who are saying i need a different way for congress to respond to this particular problem. so i don't think the fact that bloomberg's name is on it won't cause problems. it might raise attention toward the issue. >> patrick, more than one police chief, they're all for background checks. the nra is fighting back against these ads dollar for dollar. so do you think it's just a little nervous? >> i don't know who is more nervous. if there was such an overwhelming public ground swell of support for this type of thing, bloomberg wouldn't be worried about putting these ads. the other thing is that people keep demonizing the nra and wayne lapierre and i'll be the first to admit that wayne lapierre post-sandy hook speech was a rhetorical train wreck. but the fact of the matter is the nra is representing a lot of people very interested in this issue and again if there was such a ground roots swell for this, i don't think bloomberg would even be worried about

running these ads. >> i just wanted to bring this up because it was so bizarre that jim carrey put out this gun control kind of ad and you have to kind of watch it because i can't blaine it, but it's very offensive. let's watch a bit of it. ♪ on the ones who sell the guns, he'd sick the vultures and coyotes ♪ ♪ only the devil's true devotees could profiteer from pain and fear ♪ >> okay. i know it's from funny or die, but it's making the rounds online. does this sort of thing really help the cause, jason? >> i think it does. because it brings a different and you had general audience. funny or die uses these celebrities for all sorts of different issue. but i think it's valuable because people will pay

attention. people who aren't watching the news will say, hey, jim carrey talked about this particular issue, too. so i think it's valuable. anything that raises awareness and ends up helping out the mayors to represent the police and the people who are victims i think it's positive for the politics. >> but it does reinforce a stereotype of people who are for gun rights as merciless killers. >> jim carrey preaching about gun control is like anthony weiner talking about proper twitter use. they have no credibility. and every time these celebrities do something like this, people are quick to point out how many movies they were in shooting people, killing people. it's just hypocrisy because they want to focus on the gun control, but not the influence of movies. i'm not saying it's part of it, but it should be looked at if we're going to have a true debate about keeping kids safe as opposed to just blaming the

gun as the end all be all devil of the universe. >> we'll see what happens after the easter break when the lawmakers take up the issue. jason, patrick, thank you so much for being with us today. if you'd like to join in the conversation, please do. can bloomberg buy gun control? here are some of your comments. if the newtown slaughter of 20 children didn't move this country to stricter gun law, all the money in the world will not. and from christopher, should he have the right to try? of course. this is america. he can spend his money as he pleases. this this from paul, i hope and pray that he can buy gun control. the gun makers have much more money and they're buying prevention of gun control. facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet m me@carol cnn. these unexpected winners are

ruining brackets left and right. we'll have the highlights for you next. oh, hi thehey!ill. are you in town for another meeting? yup, i brought my a-team. business trips add up to family time. this is my family. this is joe. hi joe! hi there! earn a ton of extra points with the double your hhonors promotion

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